Before you think this is now going to be Train Simulator by Microsoft, think again, this is all about adding a new part of the living world to the simulator. Over on the Microsoft Flight Simulator forums, user StevenPearce833 confirmed that they are working on bringing trains to the sim. FS Trains: North America will be the first in a series of add-ons that will bring locomotives to the flight simulator.
Using the latest data, FS Trains: North America will feature over 100,000 miles of track across the USA. Trees and other obstructions will be cleared from the tracks, allowing the variety of locomotives and cars to navigate the sprawling tracks.
It is being developed by BT Studios, who have worked on aircraft-based projects in the past, so this is certainly a bit different. That said, they are conscious of performance even with this add-on, and have said that the cars are simple models and the logic driving the trains is pretty fast.
Expect Amtrak trains and every route served by Amtrak, class 1 freight on all main line tracks and a number of different car, box cars, hoppers and tank cars on other trains around the network.
A release is expected for PC and Xbox via the in-sim Marketplace within the next 30 days, so we will be keeping our eyes peeled for this release.
